


Dynamic of the Two

by therunya



Category: Free!
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 07:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4010695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therunya/pseuds/therunya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting a feel for the relationship dynamic between Rin and Sousuke. Part of a larger (planned) series, the chapters are different scenes. And hopefully remain in chronological order. Will update the rating as further scenes require.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dynamic of the Two

**Author's Note:**

> Sousuke gets called out by Rin on checking him out. Awkwardness ensues.

 

“You really were checking me out in front of Nitori, weren’t you Sousuke?” If Sousuke hadn’t seen Rin’s eyes over the edge of the top bunk’s rail, he might have twitched. With those sharp eyes watching him, Sousuke had to keep his focus on his phone. Maybe if he just ignored the red-head, he’d get bored and move on. “Ne, Sou-chan?”

 

“Don’t call me that.” It was mostly Rin attempting to get a rise out of him and Sousuke always gave him a cold stare for it. Which meant Rin had succeeded and he knew it. The grin Rin flashed at him just made him want to groan, but instead he just put his face down in his pillow.

 

“You might make Nitori jealous, Sousuke.”

 

“No.” His response was muffled by the pillow, but either Rin could make out what he said, or simply didn’t care what Sousuke was saying.

 

“Complimenting me like that in front of the whole team.”

  
  
“Rin.”

 

“I’m your captain now, Sousuke.”

 

“Don’t remind me.”

  
  
“You can’t check your captain out like that, Sousuke.”

 

“Mm.”

 

“It might give the wrong impression to the rest of the team!”

 

Sousuke had been doing it for weeks and Rin hadn’t taken any notice or interest until tonight. Right now he was just hoping Rin would think he’d stopped listening and fallen asleep on him. It had worked before.

 

“You haven’t said you weren’t, Sousuke.”  
  
And he was asleep. Definitely asleep. Dead asleep. Rin would get irritable and bored and move on. Maybe he’d throw a pillow at Sousuke’s head, but the conversation would be dropped.

 

“You better not be sleeping, Sousuke.”

 

This wasn’t happening. He could just barely see Rin’s scowl past his pillow and his mostly-shut eyes. Maybe he could use Nanase’s stupid telepathy. ‘Get bored and quit it, Rin.’

 

“Your arm is twisted underneath you and I can see your fucking eyes, you jackass.”

 

Huffing, Sousuke shifted to get his arm out from underneath his body. His shoulder wouldn’t appreciate the treatment he just put it through in the morning. Rin just looked at him, raising an eyebrow and getting under Sousuke’s skin without even trying. It was just going to be that sort of night, then.

 

“What do you want.”

  
  
“Answer me.”

 

Sousuke honestly didn’t know what Rin wanted to hear at that point, but rather than keep eye contact with Rin for longer than absolutely necessary, he glanced past Rin’s head. Looking anywhere else, even the stupid desks against the wall, or the walls themselves was better than looking at Rin.

 

But it was awkward avoiding Rin’s eyes, and he definitely saw how wide they’d gotten in his peripheral. Eventually, he did have to make eye contact again. Which might have been a mistake because it apparently took that for things to click in Rin’s head.

 

“Oh my god.”

 

“Rin, don’t.”

 

“You totally were!”

  
  
“Shut up, Rin.”

  
  
“You really were checking me out!”

 

The longer this conversation went on, the more Sousuke felt humiliated. Rin wasn’t even trying to, but he was getting under the taller boy’s skin. Sousuke was tempted to get up and leave the room but that would be too drastic, and Rin would probably cry. Rin always cried. So instead, Sousuke simply rolled onto his back and hoped covering his face with his arm would hide his embarrassment from Rin. And maybe a tiny bit of the shame.

 

On the other hand, Rin only ever seemed content with silence for a maximum of ten seconds. “You like me.” The statement just had Sousuke sighing, because Rin was an idiot that needed to state the most obvious facts sometimes.

 

“Of course I do? You’re my best friend, Rin.”

  
  
“Not just like that, Sousuke...” And he could hear that break in Rin’s voice, there was no hiding from that.

 

“No,” and his voice was sharper than intended, because he nearly heard Rin flinch too. But he had to stop Rin before the crying started. “I wasn’t going to bring it up. Because things would get weird.” Things were apparently bound to get weird anyway.

 

“So you just weren’t going to say anything? Ever?”

 

It was more than just a break in Rin’s voice now, and Sousuke had to sit up and get Rin to stop before he got started crying. Which he was already really close to, with his eyes brimming with tears already.

 

“Don’t cry, Rin.”

 

“Like that’ll actually help, Sousuke!” It was predictable that Rin would leave once he started crying, but Sousuke just felt like. Shit. Making Rin cry was his least favorite activity - which was unfortunate, because the red-head was so weepy.

 

Sousuke waits just long enough to make sure Rin got all of that out of his system. He was careful climbing down from his top bunk before sitting beside Rin on the bottom. There’s enough space left between them to leave them their own comfort zones, but Sousuke isn’t even sure what to do. He was never the type to offer comfort or apologies.

 

“So, how long?”

 

The question gets Sousuke to look up at the ceiling. Trying to actually pin that down...

 

“I’ve been laying it on pretty thick for a week, now? You’ve just not been biting.”

 

“Shit. Really?”

 

“Yeah,” this time he actually had the nerve to meet Rin’s eyes. They’re still misty, but he’s more focused and less emotional now. Sousuke had to smile just a little at him. “What gave me away?”

  
  
“Nothing really. Maybe I just started paying attention.” The shrug Rin received for that clearly wasn’t enough for him, “But how long have you liked me?”

 

“What? Shit, I don’t know that, Rin.”

 

“Since we were kids?”

 

“I said I don’t know.”

 

“How can you not know something like that?”

 

“I just don’t.”

 

It’s there that the conversation between them stalls, which he expected. Sousuke knew he had never been good at moving conversations along, and there had been zero effort to get better at that. He did notice how Rin kept staring at him, and sometimes Rin could look really intense without trying. This conversation wasn’t over.

 

“So what do you want from me, Sousuke? A relationship? Because you were really pushing that ‘no time for friends’ angle for a while there.” Sousuke’s second shrug of the night just got Rin to scowl at him. “Sousuke...”

  
  
“Look. I’m not going to ask anything of you. I wasn’t planning on asking you. It’s not fair to you.”

 

“But now that I know?”

  
  
“I don’t know. That’s up to you, I guess."

  
  
“I guess.”

 

That answer clearly isn’t what Rin had wanted, but it does lead into more silence between them. Sousuke considers heading back to his bunk and letting the conversation drop when Rin sighs and suddenly leaned against his right side. For all his efforts, Sousuke still couldn’t hide his flinch.

 

“No wonder you’ve been acting so cold.”

  
  
“What?”

 

“Holding back?”

 

“I am not.”

  
  
“You are though! I used to get hugs.” There’s that tone to his voice again, and Sousuke’s fully expecting to feel his sleeve get wet.

 

“Rin...”

 

“Maybe I miss hugs.”

 

“You can get hugs from anyone, Rin.”

 

“Maybe I miss yours.”

 

With a sigh, Sousuke moved back from Rin and further onto the bottom bunk, stopping when his back was against the wall. It seemed inevitable that Rin would get what he wanted, and Sousuke felt too drained to put up much of a fuss about it. Rin had been staring at him until Sousuke motioned for him to come back.

 

“You’re serious?”

 

“Do I look like I’m kidding? I told you that you could get hugs. Come on.” The grin Rin flashed made the embarrassment almost worth it. The hugs turned more into Rin laying on top of Sousuke’s chest, but he didn’t start complaining. Maybe he just used it as an excuse to put his chin on top of Rin’s head.

 

“See? Best hugs.”

 

“Mhm. Shut up.”

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to my friend Kytee for double checking my work! And whoever made it this far through the first chapter. I really want to do more with these two.


End file.
